


The Fear in Your Eyes

by NintendoSegaNerd



Category: Puyo Puyo (Video Games)
Genre: Amitie gets super caught up in her ambitions she doesn't realize, F/M, HAPPY ENDING THO!, Hurt/Comfort, she's worrying everyone around her, uh quick warning on sig's vision depiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-07
Updated: 2020-08-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:47:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25774591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NintendoSegaNerd/pseuds/NintendoSegaNerd
Summary: Amitie finally has a chance to become the greatest magician ever, but at what cost? Sig has to talk some sense into her before she really goes over the edge with her injuries.
Relationships: Amitie/Sig (Puyo Puyo)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 33





	The Fear in Your Eyes

Amitie’s lifelong dream was to be the greatest magician who ever lived. And now that her goal was in sight, she wasn’t about to let anything stand in her way.

Not even her injuries. Her multiple, repeated injuries, growing steadily worse as she dove after her ambitions.

At first, they started out as nicks and scrapes, but as time passed they were replaced by burns and scars. Over the weeks, she has attempted to hide them by wearing longer cloaks, as she doesn’t want her loved ones to worry too much. She also began wearing her ceremonial garb more often, a white coat with pastel accents, maroon gloves and red boots. Even though this outfit is reserved for special occasions, she finds it helps hide her wounds more efficiently. A gift from Ms. Accord, reduced to an excuse to keep pushing herself beyond her limits.

But she can’t hide the scars on her face.

The first person to notice was her father, a doctor, who insisted on treating her wounds. Amitie allows him to, but is never honest when he asks where she gets so banged up. Amitie hides her biggest injuries from him- she has watched him enough to know how to stitch herself up.

Her dad is beyond worried, but what was he to do? Amitie was at the age where she’d be considered an adult in the magical realm of Primp- 17. The age where she’d graduate from magic school, where she’d go off and find a purpose for her magical prowess. And Amitie chose to stay in Primp and keep training…. Always training. For some unforeseen disaster? Possibly.

As per Primp’s tradition, Amitie’s dad had no say in what she could or couldn’t do anymore.

She’d train with Ms. Accord, but even that wasn’t enough. Her ambitions grew to where she’d start training with Klug, who’s magical sources were… questionable. And Arle… but it wasn’t Arle at all, it was her doppelganger. Or as she claims, the original.

She thought she was being rather sneaky about her situation, the last thing Amitie wanted was the whole community starting a fuss over her physical state. She was fine! Better than fine- she was getting STRONGER! Each day she trained, she could feel her muscles breaking down and being built back up again- her power focusing, her magical reserves growing. Ms. Accord promised her that one day, she’d explain everything about who she was- what she was fighting for- her hat, the Bookmark of the Sun (now displayed in the museum) that seemed to speak to her- everything. But first, she’d have to become that person. The strongest magician alive.

What she didn’t know was that her drive… her OBSESSION… was noticed by her friends long ago. Lidelle and Tarutaru were furious with her for not taking care of herself- furious, an emotion that neither of them use without good reason. But there was nothing they could do. They were constantly away on nature trips, and even if they said anything, Amitie would brush them off with a smile and an “I’m okay, really guys, stop worrying so much.”

Raffina didn’t know what to think. Of course, she’s proud of her closest friend- her sister- for reaching for the stars. It was everything Raffina could have wanted for her, because Raffina herself prided on pushing past her limits to achieve her goals.

But there was something… something off, by the number of hours Amitie spent, digging and digging her way to her finish line. Something that did not feel right, that made Raffina nauseous every time Amitie came up to her with a tired smile on her face and a limp in her step.

 _This was too much_ , she wanted to say, but the words stuck in Raffina’s throat as Amitie waved goodbye to go train again.

Klug, of course, knew exactly what was going on. Despite being only the side coach, the substitute teacher for Amitie’s training, he knew where her ambitions came from. The drive to be the best- that’s what has driven him his whole life. He could see the fire in her eyes as he spins a spell from his most recent tome. Amitie’s fire doesn’t burn out as she fails to whip up a counterspell and is thrashed to the ground.

“Hit me again, Klug! I got it this time!”

Why was he even helping her?

Perhaps, there was something endearing about the way she professed his ambition to him, the plea to help her when she needed it… To be a guide, a teacher, to the realm of his dark magical sources. His beloved tomes.

He had never known anyone show such fascination for his craft before Amitie. She hadn’t before she graduated, of course. But now, it was all that she was interested in. Perhaps that is why he trains with her now- a sister in spirit.

He sees the injuries littered across her arms and legs when they are finished each day, and a twinge of guilt will always stick with him as they go home for the night.

But this is what she wanted, right?

…And then there was Sig.

Sig, who was Amitie’s best friend for years.

Sig, who never once doubted Amitie’s courage- her strength, her passion, her determination.

Sig, who never realized that those traits could be her downfall. Not until he saw the scars.

Amitie always made it a point to visit Sig on muggy days- when the humidity signaled a storm brewing. The bugs hid from the impending storm on those nights, so Amitie visited Sig to keep him company. She never missed a date. Ever. No matter what.

Even when she was limping from a miscalculated spell.

On a particularly humid evening, as Amitie limps up to the front door of his home, the Mansion of Clandestine, Sig sees her for who she is… not for who she pretends to be.

She fakes a smile, but Sig can see the weariness in her face. The dullness of her usually bright green eyes.

His heart nearly stops in his chest as he analyzes her frayed state.

His wide eyes scan the kaleidoscope of purples, blues, and reds scattered across her bare skin, like a galaxy of bruises and burns. Scars, scratches on her temple and eyebrows, remnants of failed spells. He could hardly believe his eyes.

And in that moment, a vision flashes across his eyes, a vision of Amitie on the floor of a cave, surrounded by a dark, sticky liquid- flowing from her body- an undiscernible scream-

“Hey, you good?” Amitie was now up in his face, shaking away the vision. Giving him a slightly confused look, she was used to him zoning out, but something was different… he stepped back from her with a twinge of… panic?

“Y…you’re hurt.” Sig fumbled over the words, his expression unusually shocked. He stuffed his red claw in his jacket pocket almost subconsciously.

Amitie shrugged, she SHRUGGED. “Eh, a little. It’s from training. No biggie, I’ll heal.”

 _No biggie, I’ll heal_. Sig could barely understand the words, he was too overwhelmed by the cuts, the scrapes, the scars… the scars…

…And that was the end of that conversation.

She would hang out with him, talk to him as if everything was normal, give him a hug and say “Good night, I have to go train!”

And every time she leaves, Sig feels his heart being slowly crushed in his chest.

And the longer this dynamic continues, the more the realization dawns on him in a vicious repeated cycle:

_Amitie was HURT. She is injured- repeatedly injured!_

_It’s not your fault, Sig_ \- the rational part of his brain chided. _She did this to herself. You didn’t cause this._

_But what if I DID cause this? What if she was only training because she KNEW- she’s protecting herself from what I might become, she knows that I’m dangerous, that it’s only a matter of time- I shouldn’t say anything, I should just let her train, she’s getting stronger to protect herself against me- and yet…_

_And yet… she’s HURT OH PUYO SHE’S HURT-_

Every time he lays his eyes on her bruises, her cuts, every time he sees her smiling her fake smile to hide how utterly fatigued she was, he could feel his red arm twitch. Fighting against the horrible visions that haunt his dreams. Visions of her with her face clawed beyond recognition, of him leering over her, wrapped in shadow- of blood, lots and lots of…

He clenched his claw together. This had to stop, he couldn’t take much more of this.

“…Amitie.” He grits his teeth, thoughts swirling, hoping he says the right thing.

Amitie glances at him from her spot on his couch, she was amid speaking about the latest spell she had just learned. She gives him a curious look, her eyebrows raised, sensing that Sig was about to tell her something important…

“…Wh… why are you so intent on being…” Sig swallowed, suddenly, he didn’t know what to say. He wasn’t sure how to tell her to stop injuring herself… to take care of herself more, to… to… “Wh… why…”

Amitie waited patiently for her friend to collect his thoughts. Sig glanced at her, mouth open but unable to speak, the words stuck in his throat. She smiles at him encouragingly. The smile fills Sig with a deep sense of guilt for what he was about to ask, but…

He had to say it. He had to.

“…Why can’t you see what you’re doing? The scars, the injuries, Amitie… It’s gone too far.” Sig finally blurted out lamely, unhappy with how he said it, feeling like he was holding back. 

Immediately, Amitie’s smile fell. She furrowed her brows, looking confused. “Silly, what do you mean? I’m fine. These old things?” She pointed at the scars on her face. “They’ll heal in time! Then I’ll be back to normal!” She gave him, what was meant to be, a reassuring grin, but it just twisted Sig’s insides with unease.

Sig leaned in closer, growing visibly more frustrated. “You know exactly what I’m talking about, don’t play dumb!” Amitie blinked at him, evidently surprised by his outburst… an invitation to keep going. “When will “going back to normal” be?! Will you always sacrifice your wellbeing just to be more powerful? Will your friends always have to see you so hurt, so in pain, for the rest of our lives?!” he exclaimed, tired of holding back this dam of worries, of fears.

He was practically standing over Amitie at this point. Sig’s words rang in the quiet house, and for a moment, nothing was said. Before Amitie sighed and glared up at him. Glared. Her mint green eyes betrayed her exhaustion, as if she had been told this too many times and she was absolutely done.

“Sig, I appreciate your concern, but this is none of your business.” She gritted her teeth as she spoke, feeling her anger bubble up in her chest. How dare he? How dare he tell her when she had gone too far? Only she was the writer of her own destiny, not him! Not anyone!

“These injuries are only a side effect of becoming what I was always DESTINED to be!” She stood up, snapping in his face a whirlwind of words he’d never thought she’d use. “I don’t need your pity or your worry, I am growing stronger than I ever have been in my life. I will be the greatest magician ever- no matter what it takes! So let it go, Sigmund! In the grand scheme of things, it’s nothing! I’ll heal!”

“I WON’T LET IT GO!” He shouts, and his voice shakes with unusual emotion. Amitie almost gasps when she hears him shout- it was so unlike him, so very, very not Sig.

“Sig…” Amitie’s eyes narrow, but her voice cracks, something in the air stops her from speaking. As she looks up at him, she sees him shaking with rage, with… fear.

Sig grabs her arms with his hands, a gentle, but powerful force. His grip is strong, quivering from frustration. Amitie could break free if she wanted to. But there was a look in his eyes that kept her still, waiting.

“Stop DOING this to yourself!” he was frantic, begging, PLEADING for her to understand.

She could see a tear race down his cheek, his face was flushed. But what stood out to Amitie the most was his intense, wide-eyed stare, riddled with desperation. She gaped as he spewed out a stream of words, “Every time I see you with a new burn, a new scar, a limp- I see me, standing over you, staring at my claw, watching the blood drip down and you’re there- you’re there on the ground, you are bleeding out and dying, and…” he choked, illustrating his never-ending visions of horror, “These visions that haunt my dreams, I get flashes of them when I see you so hurt… they feel so real, and I feel so terrible for saying it. It’s- it’s not my place to tell you when to stop training, that you’ve taken it too far. But I just want you to know…” He pauses, tears dripping down his flushed face. “…That none of us, no one, can stand seeing you in such pain, so exhausted. It hurts,” oh, his voice cracked…

“It hurts so bad, seeing you like this… and not being able to do anything. And I will sound like the most selfish person in the world, but it hurts me twice- because of these horrible visions that I have… I’m so a… afraid for you Amitie… that you might go too far, that you might not be able to survive your injuries- th-that you might… die.” He let out a breath at that last word, tasting it, unable to understand its significance until that very moment.

His voice trails off, he is quietly crying, his chest heaving up and down from his outburst. As his grip loosens on Amitie’s arms, Amitie feels her head ringing from the extreme onslaught of Sig’s emotions and her heart pounds in her chest. Something clicks in her mind. Everyone’s perspectives regarding her injuries… she understood them. It wasn’t just worry… they were afraid for her.

And Sig was the most afraid.

She was the cause of his distress? He was worried that she might go too far and… and die? Even worse… those visions he claims he has… how long has this been happening?

Holy Puyo, she has been terrible.

Because she has been so SELFISH- so blind to everyone. So adamant on becoming the greatest magician ever, to fulfill some purpose Ms. Accord won’t tell her.

Amitie breaks away from Sig’s grip, she couldn’t allow herself to be near him, not after she hurt him and has been hurting him for so long. Moving against her nature- she wanted so badly to cup his face, to hug him forever, to tell him how sorry she was for causing him such intense pain… But she can’t look him in the eyes, for the fear that she might see the stroke of terror glazed over his face- terror, as he stares at her scars.

And Sig tastes bile in the back of his throat as Amitie flinches away from him: of course she’d be scared, after blowing up like that! He was a MORON, how could he say those things? Now she’s going to endlessly worry that she’ll just trigger him, she’s afraid of hurting him- just like he’s afraid of hurting her.

Two different fears, but they’re still remarkably similar.

Sig feels his hand shake- his claw- his deformity- as he raises it to her crestfallen face. He gently, lightly, strokes her recent scar- a thin line across her cheekbone to her neck, healed enough but still as pulsing red as his claw.

_Just please, look at me…_

He swallowed his fear- the vision of clawing her face, of leaving her to die- and cupped her chin.

Lifting her face.

Her eyes glance up hopefully for a moment before she squeezes them closed, still overcome by the fear of his horror-stricken gaze. Still afraid of seeing the remnants of his pain, of how long he has been suffering, watching her hurt herself.

She doesn’t open them until she feels a light pressure on her left eyebrow- where she had cut herself with a wind spell.

Sig presses his lips to her injury- hoping, praying, that Amitie will understand his jumble of emotions- and just look at him, unafraid.

_Just please, for the love of Puyo, look at me._

Amitie let out a slight gasp and feels her chest tighten with regret and guilt- but also extreme relief. He forgives her. Sig forgives her for causing him such pain for being so blind, and she has no reason to be afraid of hurting him back.

He loves her, she realizes.

The light switches on in her head, she finally understood.

He loves her enough to caress her injuries- that which reminds him of a deep-seeded fear. The fear of a future in which he hurts her, just like in his visions…

He is indirectly facing his fear for HER.

And Amitie can feel something hot rolling down her cheeks, and oh, she’s crying…

So she slowly opens her mint green eyes wide, releasing a dam of trapped tears. Sig pulls back in surprise as she- shakily- grabs his face in her palms. A little harsher than she was going for, but as his pretty heterochromatic eyes locked on to hers, Amitie saw him… just him, for a moment, in his entirety.

Their faces reflected each other exactly. Flushed cheeks, wet from tears, mouths slightly open, eyes equally as big and puffy and beautiful.

They were two broken halves of a perfect whole.

“I’m sorry, I’m so, so sorry.” Amitie hoarsely whispers before leaning in and pressing her lips against Sig’s.

In a valiant effort to apologize, to say what she never could out loud.

As for Sig, he could feel an incredibly heavy burden lift off his shoulders- as the relief set in. In the moment, when Amitie cupped his face, he saw her- her eyes. Her beautiful light green eyes, like two lily pads. And she was looking at him.

Puyo, she was looking at him.

There was no fear, she didn’t flinch away, he stood there, mesmerized. Mouth slightly agape, being pulled in by her gaze.

Her look of warmth, and surprise and determination and...

And love.

And she leaned in closer, he didn’t want to look away...

And she pressed her lips against his after whispering a broken apology.

It was in that moment time stopped. The world around them stilled. The warm air wrapped itself around the two living beings, cracked, but living.

Sig’s arms twitched before he wrapped them around Amitie, pulling her closer, closing his eyes. Amitie. He was kissing Amitie. His best friend, of whom he so afraid of hurting- and he was KISSING her.

She was so warm, her heart beating against his in a syncopated rhythm. He could feel the heat radiating off her face, the tear stains on her cheeks meshed with his own. He leaned in closer, and she pressed her lips harder against his- as if there was an unspoken fear that the other might disappear and this was just a wistful dream.

But this was no dream.

And as the realization dawned further on both of them- that they were kissing each other- that they loved each other- equally...

Tears fell again. Amitie breathed in, her breath quaking from the amount of emotions she had faced today, and she breathed Sig in, Sig in all of his perfect imperfections. Kissing him didn’t erupt fireworks in her chest, but instead allowed her to melt, melt softly, into his arms, a sweet embrace. Radiating more warmth than any of her fire spells.

And Sig, Sig felt the fireworks, the sparks that made him shiver to his core, that lit his nerves on fire… He had never felt as excited and alive, as he did right in that moment.

Amitie let out a little hiccup from all of her emotions, the little jump in her chest making Sig respond with a soft, loving chuckle from deep in his throat.

And that made Amitie giggle too... from relief and exhaustion.

There came a point where both were smiling far too much to be able to kiss without clacking their teeth together, so Amitie.... RELUCTANTLY.... pulled her face away first. Her hands still cupping his face, fingers tangled in his cyan hair... she absentmindedly fiddled with his hair as she opened her eyes to see Sig.

Sig. Beautiful, quiet, empathetic Sig.

He was biting his slightly swollen lip and giddily smiling at her with more expression than she had ever seen on his face. He was trying to reign in his overwhelmed expression and epically failing to do so, and so Amitie smiled back wildly in response.

His mismatched eyes were sparkling, his red eye dilated like a cat. And he was radiating affection, joy, from his smile alone. And Amitie rubbed her frazzled face with the back of her hand, was this real?

Did he love her that much? As much as she loves him?

Amitie decided just now, she would never train so harshly again… she would take care of herself, in order to preserve this genuine love and happiness on Sig’s face.

There was no fear.

Neither one of them were afraid anymore. Not of hurting each other, nor of dying. Who can say what the future holds, but in this moment, Amitie and Sig were not afraid of anything.

Because they had each other. They were brave, together.

And so Sig leaned in closer and whispered “I love you”.

Three words that Amitie would never have imagined she’d ever hear said this way... with this much love and want.

“I love you too.” Amitie quietly returned, putting as much affection into them as she possibly could, and leaning in to kiss him again.


End file.
